Snow Blower Impeller Mod

[Sumboodie]

I did the impeller mod to my Snapper 1030, and was underwhelmed. It never clogged before, still doesn’t. Looking at the impeller and surrounding housing, it’s already pretty close tolerance. I’m guessing that the ones reporting big results are on blowers with a lot of clearance between impeller and housing.

I welded 1/4" plates on the blower on my tractor to close up the clearance. The previous owner had a dirt yard, so it had chewed it up some.

 

[GTO]

I find that as long as mine is adjusted , my two stage Ariens 28" works just fine without the impeller mod.

 

[rlitman]

Many blowers only have 3 fins on the impeller.

Yeah, I've seen that lately. The hydraulically driven monster at my work has six.

With an odd number, I'd probably put a wiper on them all.

 

[kelpaso1]

I did the impeller mod to my Snapper 1030, and was underwhelmed. It never clogged before, still doesn’t. Looking at the impeller and surrounding housing, it’s already pretty close tolerance. I’m guessing that the ones reporting big results are on blowers with a lot of clearance between impeller and housing.

Yes you are correct. If you have a 1/2 clearance then the mod makes a BIG difference.

 

[jonshonda]

The gap is probably there to make manufacturing easier and less expensive. A tighter gap means the impeller must be made to tighter tolerances. Impellers are usually a welded fabrication, so a little leeway in terms of that gap means a lot.

The gap is there cuz of dummies sticking fingers in there. You could easily make a fixture to make the tolerance tighter when welding.

 

[Mr Ratchet]

Just did mine a few weeks ago. Only used once since I did it and it works great. I clear a pretty good spot out back for the animals to have a place to eat when I put out feed. Mine gets sand, sod, stones, and sticks in it and has widened the gap over the last 20 years. I used 1 1/2" wide strips of aluminum against the rubber instead of washers. I also used stainless bolts, lock nuts, washers, and lock washers to keep everything in place.

 

[Renegade1LI]

I was ready to replace mine till I found this impeller mod, night & day difference. I think if they came with a rubber impeller seal less people would stick there hands in there, it never clogs anymore.

 

[kelpaso1]

I was ready to replace mine till I found this impeller mod, night & day difference. I think if they came with a rubber impeller seal less people would stick there hands in there, it never clogs anymore.

If you stick your hand into a running blower you get the Darwin award when it chews your arm off.

 

[Toxictom]

If you stick your hand into a running blower you get the Darwin award when it chews your arm off.

It happens. I know a guy. He's an intelligent guy too. Busted up his arm pretty good.

 

[Sumboodie]

The gap is there cuz of dummies sticking fingers in there. You could easily make a fixture to make the tolerance tighter when welding.

A gap isn't going to save fingers.

 

[Renegade1LI]

I saw someone do it once, it isn't pretty, he lost 3 fingers & the other 2 are like ornaments. It is amazing what people take for granted.

 

[Tinner]

A gap isn't going to save fingers.

It could make them easier to find.

 

[kelpaso1]

The gap is there cuz of dummies sticking fingers in there. You could easily make a fixture to make the tolerance tighter when welding.

No its not. Stick your arm down there when the auger is turning that gap aint gonna do **** to save your arm or fingers.

 

[jonshonda]

A gap isn't going to save fingers.

It's likely the difference between deglove and delimb.

 

[DGersic]

It's likely the difference between deglove and delimb.

Ive seen mine injest, shred, and spit out the remains of a Chicago Tribune back when kids delivered newspapers to driveways. I don’t think an arm would even slow it down much.

 

[JRC3]

It's likely the difference between deglove and delimb.

No, dude. The gap is there because it's easier to mass build that way.

 

[JRC3]

DP

 

[Johnny Generic]

Does it make a difference on what side of the impeller blade the rubber goes on?
Do you think this mod to the impeller blade would make would work (make a difference) on a pull behind leave rake?

 

[rlitman]

Ive seen mine injest, shred, and spit out the remains of a Chicago Tribune back when kids delivered newspapers to driveways. I don’t think an arm would even slow it down much.

Mine's eaten newspapers, but a phonebook stalled it.

My worst, was a 24oz ball peen hammer. I picked up the hammer at a flea market in the fall and it was too nasty to take into the shop, so I left it outside by the door awaiting a re-handle-ing. Well, it got forgotten and was quickly buried by leaves. It made a terrible racket going through and left a good goose-egg bump on my steel chute going out (thank goodness I don't have a plastic chute). I found the head and splinters of the old handle in my lawn in the spring.

 

[DGersic]

Does it make a difference on what side of the impeller blade the rubber goes on?
Do you think this mod to the impeller blade would make would work (make a difference) on a pull behind leave rake?

The blades on my impeller are L shaped. The mod has to go on the inside, leading side of the blade.

If your impeller has straight blades, maybe either side would work.

No idea what the mechanism on a leaf rake looks like.

 

[Y00PER]

Precisely why I keep moving South. Your photos give me PTSD of living in the U.P. eight years...

Some of us are smart enough to move south, others like me must like bitching about winter for 8 months of the year and added debt of trying to get bigger and better stuff to move the 300" of snow every winter

 

[kelpaso1]

Does it make a difference on what side of the impeller blade the rubber goes on?
Do you think this mod to the impeller blade would make would work (make a difference) on a pull behind leave rake?

Put them on the "top or leading edge" of the blades. Mine had a good 1/2 of clearance between the blades and housing and after the mod it shoots the snow 2-3 times as far. If your impeller blades are bent up at the ends there is no need to put the rubber on the bent part, just the straight part of the blade. To secure the rubber "paddles" I just drilled 4 holes through the rubber and impeller blades and used 4 self tapping tech screws. No need for a metal plate on top of the rubber paddles.

BTW large truck or semi mud flaps make good flaps since they have some kind of cording reinforcing molded into them instead of just plain rubber.

 

[thool]

I have been tempted a number of time but have NOT made the mod yet. I really don't need to throw the snow any further, and where I am located we don't get enough slush to make this a needed upgrade.

However, I did service the valves according to the mechanic's shop manual, and the power increase is very noticeable. To me, being able to get through heavy snow without bogging down had higher priority.

 

[greg13]

I think the FWD speeds are ok. I've tried adjusting it in the past, I can try again. But that wont help it through heavy snow.

That blower has an actual transmission in it, not a a friction disc like other blowers. The machine is well worth rebuilding. They were a top shelf machine and would easily run over $1000 new today.

 

[Firebrick43]

I'm considering it, but......

My old Gravely 2 wheeler without flaps. With flaps, I might have more than just the closest neighbors complain.

With the older dog eaters/ma115 blowers flaps really helped. With the snow cannons like you have not so much.

When you want to blow your snow on your neighbors drive, buy a gravely snow cannon!

 

[csp]

Does it make a difference on what side of the impeller blade the rubber goes on?
Do you think this mod to the impeller blade would make would work (make a difference) on a pull behind leave rake?

With the rubber on the leading edge the snow on the impeller will put pressure on the rubber where it's attached to the blade vs trying to pull it away if it's on the trailing edge.

 

[PoorUB]

That blower has an actual transmission in it, not a a friction disc like other blowers. The machine is well worth rebuilding. They were a top shelf machine and would easily run over $1000 new today.

A Toro Powershift? Even a smaller HP unit would be way over $1,000 today. I don't know for certain, but I bet that 624 Powershift was a $1,000 when they quit building them in ~2004.

I have a 1028 Powershift. It retailed for $2400 in 2004, or about $3500 today. It is a monster, a heavey beast and it likes a lot of snow and is a pain in the backside to run, but when the snow is deep I have not seen another blower of it's size that does any better. I have one of those little Toro 5HP plastic pladdle machines for the light snow.

As for the blower mod, I did one on mine a couple years ago, it made a bit of difference in heavy snow, but it made a major difference in light snow, and slush.

As for the gap, manufacturing and room for debris, rocks and what not.

 

[greg13]

2004 was the last year for the Power shifts.

 

[bsaint]

The phrase of the day in this thread is "night and day" lol.

I also did the "mod" to a mtd. The improvement was **like night and day** It really uses all the power of the motor. My little 5hp cleared snow better than my dads 8hp or whatever it was.

 

[kelpaso1]

As for the gap, manufacturing and room for debris, rocks and what not.

Wrong. The less the gap the farther the snow gets blown and less chance for a rock getting jammed in the impeller.

 

[PoorUB]

Wrong. The less the gap the farther the snow gets blown and less chance for a rock getting jammed in the impeller.

No argument on a tighter gap blowing snow farther, I don't know why you brought it up! I never said otherwise.
As far as the tighter gap the less chance a rock getting jammed, I disagree with that completely.

 

[kelpaso1]

No argument on a tighter gap blowing snow farther, I don't know why you brought it up! I never said otherwise.
As far as the tighter gap the less chance a rock getting jammed, I disagree with that completely.

Err, ok believe what you want. I've been fixing blowers for over 20 years and know what I'm talking about.

 

[PoorUB]

Err, ok believe what you want. I've been fixing blowers for over 20 years and know what I'm talking about.

You are not the only small engine mechanic here!
I ran a shop for years too!

If there is a 1/2" gap, 1/2" rocks and smaller pass right on through. It doene't even notice 1/4" rocks. If the gap is tighter than 1/2", 1/2" rocks can get jammed in the impeller.

 

[Fatboy148]

Ive seen mine injest, shred, and spit out the remains of a Chicago Tribune back when kids delivered newspapers to driveways. I don’t think an arm would even slow it down much.

I have a 7' Lucknow unit on the back of my tractor. I had two real nice long handled aluminum shovels that had heads like a coal shovel with nonstick finish that I used to shovel snow. I lost one maybe 20 years ago when I forgot that I had stuck it in a snowbank. It didn't slow the blower much at all, but it did make a little extra noise as it went through.

 

[scooby074]

Clearance is a bit of an issue for me. My tractor blower usually lives outside. If I did an impeller mod to it Id be worried that any ice buildup in the fan area would jam the fan. As it is right now, any rain/freezing rain/ water runs past the blades and drains out a 1/2" diameter hole drilled in the fan housing. Closing up those gaps could allow water to stick around and freeze instead of draining.

Clearance for rocks is a thing too. I suppose it depends on the gravel on your driveway.

 

[bsaint]

You are not the only small engine mechanic here!
I ran a shop for years too!

If there is a 1/2" gap, 1/2" rocks and smaller pass right on through. It doene't even notice 1/4" rocks. If the gap is tighter than 1/2", 1/2" rocks can get jammed in the impeller.

I agree with you too. I think the gap is to 1) keep debris from grinding in between the blade and housing and 2) to keep things from jamming on there. They must figure anything smaller the engine can over come.

 

[chipjumper]

Gap between metal-to-metal is good for the rock jam issue but the rubber wipers can have minimal gap. I haven’t had a issue and I have a gravel driveway.

 

[kelpaso1]

Gap between metal-to-metal is good for the rock jam issue but the rubber wipers can have minimal gap. I haven’t had a issue and I have a gravel driveway.

Exactly! I would get rock jams all the time without the rubber wipers. After I did the mod not one single one after that.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

Used what scrap rubber i had and it worked great. The rubber i used was about as thin as a bicycle tire and no issue

 

[mark-NJ]

Does anyone have any pictures they can post? I have an older 5/24 MTD...all these years later, it still starts on the very first pull! Great machine, still in great shape, and I treat it to new belts, friction wheel, etc. regularly. But mushy snow does clog the chute, so this thread intrigues me!

Pics would be great, if you can post some. I think I "get it", but some up-close pics would sure help...

Thanks!